Declares that the decision of North Lincolnshire Council to cease their core funding for North Lincolnshire Citizens Advice Bureau is putting the long-term future of the Citizens Advice Bureau at risk, and means that service provision will be adversely affected and jobs will be lost at an outstanding organisation which has served the North Lincolnshire community so well for such a long time.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to intervene with North Lincolnshire Council to keep the funding for North Lincolnshire Citizens Advice Bureau.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Nic Dakin, Official Report, 17 July 2018; Vol. 645, c. 374.]
[P002216]
Observations from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Rishi Sunak):
The Government recognise the important role that councils play in helping to support community services, which is why the 2018-19 Local Government finance settlement sees a £1.3 billion increase in resources to Local Government over the next two years.
Our fair and sustainable financial settlement gives local authorities the ability to protect important local services. As democratically elected organisations, local authorities are independent of central Government and are responsible for managing their budgets in line with local priorities.
The Government expect local authorities to take on the challenge of making savings, while continuing to provide a range of high quality services to local communities.